Pokemon Chronicles
by wildrook
Summary: Book 1: Awakening of Arceus. I test my luck with making a dark side to the Pokemon series...and ended up making it even darker.
1. GS Ball Mystery Solved

Pokemon Chronicles

Chapter 1: The Errand, the Meeting, and the Plan of Action. The GS Ball contains WHAT?!?

----

"Hard to believe that we're arriving at the birthplace of the Pokemon Master, isn't it?" the trainer in a black leather coat said to his Raichu.

"(Yup,)" he replied. "(But we're not here to look at the sights.)"

"I know. We have to send a message to Professor Oak from Kurt. It's just that all those other regions caught my interest that I didn't have time to actually get there."

The trainer in the Black Coat happens to be Andrew from Blackthorn City, and the Raichu outside his Pokeball happens to be his partner, Jolt. Now, he had managed to get Jolt the same way his idol, Ash, got his Pikachu: He was late and it was the only one they had. However, unlike Pikachu, Jolt chose to evolve after learning Agility and Thunder, so not only is he a balance of speed and power, but has the ability to be underestimated.

Andrew, however, happens to be a fan of Pokemon in general. After getting Jolt, he had to go to Mr. Pokemon's house to get something and met up with Professor Gary Oak in the obtainment of the Pokedex. However, he ran into a trainer named Kamon, who had stolen a Chikorita from Professor Elm's lab. Now he had to separate from his friends, Taylor and Kila, in order to find their way to the Silver Conference.

After making Top 4 in the Sinnoh League, Andrew was given an errand from Kurt of Azalea Town in order to deliver something to the current Professor Oak. He then took the ferry to Pallet Town, in which he's riding in right now, and was enjoying the sights of the ocean.

"We could participate in a few battles," he muttered, "but I'm not sure if they're still angry at me."

"(They're not angry,)" Jolt said. "(They're just tired after the last encounter with Team Rocket. And Pallet Town happens to have no Pokemon Center, so they're going to be a little restless.)"

"Land ho!" the captain said. "Pallet Town dead ahead!"

"That's our stop," Andrew said. "Let's go, Jolt."

Both Andrew and Jolt had arrived. The first thing they had to do was to find a healing station…which was in the lab…which they needed directions to.

----

Elsewhere, on the northern part of Pallet Town, the Pokemon Master five years running had arrived back home.

"It's been a long time since we've been here," he said to his friend.

"(I STILL can't believe that you decided to hike through Mt. Silver,)" the Pikachu said. "(What if we had died?)"

"Pikachu, I thought we went over this conversation already. I can handle myself now, although I still miss my Mom's cooking." However, there was a rumbling sound from behind. "Is it an earthquake or the flock of Spearows?"

Pikachu froze. "(Worse. It's the press.)"

Now, Ash may be the Pokemon Master, but other than DJ Mary, he did NOT want to accept interviews from reporters, so he and Pikachu did the only thing that was logically possible: Run like hell.

However, he had also crossed paths with Andrew and Jolt and accidentally dragged them to his house.

"That was a close one," Ash said.

"Can someone get off me?" Andrew asked him.

Ash and Pikachu got off of Andrew and Jolt, who got up in pain.

Jolt, however, recognized them. "(Uh, oh,)" he said. "(Andrew, don't look up.)"

"Why?" Andrew asked, but when he did… "Oh…my…God. You're Ash Ketchum!"

"Yeah…" Ash said. "And you are?"

The young man then realized that he went into fanboy mode. "Sorry about that. My name's Andrew from Blackthorn City, and this is my Raichu, Jolt. We were looking for Professor Oak's lab until we got dragged into this…lovely humble abode."

"Thanks," Ash said. "It's actually my Mom's. I was just making a stop here to see how she was doing."

"Ash?" a female voice said. A woman around 36 years old had arrived. "You're back!" With that, she put her son in a tight hug. "I was so worried!"

"Mom!" Ash yelled. "I'm okay. I actually did a bit of help with the Pokemon Rangers in Mt. Silver, and we have a guest."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ketchum," Andrew said, bowing. "My name's Andrew and this is my partner, Jolt."

"(Nice to meet you,)" Jolt said.

"It's nice to meet you both," Delia said, "and I'm quite surprised that my son has a fan. Did you start out with that Raichu?"

Andrew had flinched. "Actually, he was a Pikachu when we first met, but he chose to evolve."

"Well, Mr. Mime's out shopping, so there are leftovers in the refrigerator. Make yourselves at home. I'll be in the garden if you need me." She then left towards the garden with Ash surprised at the black-coated trainer.

"I didn't think I'd be the only one who started out with Pikachu," Ash said.

"The pathway from Blackthorn to New Bark is full of Pokemon," Andrew replied. "That, and the Chikorita reserved for me was stolen."

"(STOLEN!)" Pikachu yelled.

"You heard me right. It was by a kid with navy hair named Kamon, and he seemed to have a grudge against you, Ash."

"Meganium's going to be pissed," Ash said, grumbling. "And I think we've met once. He was whom the Pokemon Rangers were trying to arrest, and he treated his Pokemon like War Machines."

"He only wants the strongest Pokemon," Andrew said. "One who doesn't tire, wear out, and can destroy cities. The last time I had fought him was on top of a blimp. Flying Pokemon were out of the question, so I had to use my Lucario to defeat most of his non-Ghost and Psychic Pokemon."

Ash couldn't believe it. "You're the Daredevil Dragon? One of the best Underground Trainers that goes through risks to win Pokemon Battles?"

Andrew was surprised. His "Underground Title" seemed to surface even within the official league. "I only do those jobs in order to bring criminals to justice. If you want to bring me to justice, fine, but I have permission from the Pokemon Rangers and Officer Jenny Brigade to act as their agent."

"It's not that. You take a lot more risks than I did trying to free Legendary Pokemon AND you're basically the Underground Master, which is parallel to me."

"(It's not something he's proud of,)" Jolt said. "(As the top Underground Master, he has to participate in battles in where he's challenged for his title, be up-to-date on people who try to steal his reign, and have a team of informants that will inform him of everything a crime organization can do or will do in the future.)"

"Jolt's right," Andrew said. "It's not all fun and games. I have to act as the symbol of the Underground and because I've got contacts with spies, I need to know what they're doing and when they'll do it." Andrew then realized something. "By any chance did Pikachu tell you this?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "It's basically the same thing through my own title, only the other informants are my fellow Champions Lance, Steven, Wallace, and Cynthia. Being the G-Man, Lance has to infiltrate several Team Headquarters in order to stop them. I think our informants crossed paths…dare I ask who they are?"

"There's Landon, who's Giovanni's disowned son and leader of the Viridian City Gym, Jesse and James, whom you already know…"

Ash recognized those names. "Wow. Didn't think they were good in the Underground."

"I had ran into them in Sinnoh. Don't ask. There's also Paul, who had changed after you beat him."

Again, Ash didn't think it was possible. "Wow. He works for you?"

"Alongside Landon and my two friends, Taylor and Kila, he's part of the Underground's Elite Four. Landon's the Arbiter, Paul's the War Machine, Jesse's the Serpent, James is the Godfather, Taylor's the Psychic, and Kila's the Siren. It's pretty organized, despite it being called the Underground."

"(I don't know if it's a coincidence,)" Pikachu said, "(but didn't you participate in an Underground match once, Ash?)"

"Now that you bring it up, Pikachu," Ash said, "I think Paul challenged me to one once. He said it was to prepare for Judgment Day."

Andrew was surprised. "Now I remember what I'm doing here! I'm supposed to inform Professor Oak about the GS Ball's secret!"

"The what?" both Ash and Pikachu asked him.

"The GS Ball happens to be an iconic symbol in the Underground. The gold part represents creation while the silver part represents nothingness. It was created from a unique Apricot called the Golden Apricot which housed the Creator of Pokemon, Arceus!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!" they both yelled.

----

Minutes later, after eating leftovers and Andrew meeting Delia's Mr. Mime, both the Pokemon Master and the Underground Leader had raced towards Professor Oak's lab.

Gary, who had taken the mantle of Professor Oak since his Grandfather died, was surprised to see Ash there with a newcomer.

"How was the trip to Mt. Silver, Ashy-boy?" Gary asked him.

"No time to talk about that," Ash replied. "I just ran into somebody who came to deliver a message."

Andrew had given Gary the note. "It's been years, but this is a recent development that Kurt sent me to tell you," he replied. "Apparently, in two years' time, Arceus will awaken within the GS Ball."

"Two years?" Gary asked him. "And Arceus? I thought he was just a myth!"

"So was Lugia, the Unown, Celebi, Latios and Latias, Jirachi, Mew, Manaphy, Deoxys, and every other legendary I've met," Ash said. "I've already called Lance and told him to keep the GS Ball out of Team Rocket's hands. If it happens, I don't want to know what they'll do to him."

Looking through the database, Gary had compared the message to his Late Grandfather's, Professor Ivy's, and Kurt's own notes. With that said, he only came to one conclusion: "Is there any chance you're smoking anything?" The visitors had face-faulted at that response.

"It's no joke, Gary. Latias came to me from Altomare after I became Pokemon Master thanks to the Ritual of Beginnings. You've seen her."

"I know Latias exists, but I wasn't sure if you were correct!"

"Would you two knock it off?" Andrew asked them. "I may not have grown up with you guys, but I can tell you've had this argument before. If growing up in the Dragon's Den taught me anything, it's not to take any chances if you don't know what's happening. Right now, forces we don't understand are at work here, and the only way people would live happily through the rest of their lives is if they…don't…know about it."

"You're from Blackthorn?" Gary asked him. Andrew nodded at that. "Right. I forgot that those who grow up there are more in-tune to the supernatural than Ash here."

"Why me?" Ash asked him.

"You have a power no one can understand, if I remember correctly. And it's what got you the reincarnation of Aaron's own Lucario."

Andrew gave Ash a surprised look. "You have a Lucario as well?"

Ash was confused. Lucario were borderline impossible to obtain, let alone raise. "As well?"

"Mine was from an egg Riley gave me in Iron Island. Where was yours from?"

"Mine was from Rota as a surprise present from Aaron himself." Ash then realized something. "Are we related or something?"

"I don't think so…my Mom died when I was young and my Father was killed by a Pokemon Hunter named J. The monks from the Dragon's Den took me in and I trained under Lance and Clair in the art of Dragon Pokemon."

Gary was surprised at that as well. "With the similarities between you two, you could pass off as an older brother to him," he said to his longtime rival/best friend.

"Yeah, but I never knew my Father," Ash said. "Mom basically divorced him because he spent too much time in his work. I never got the chance to ask her about him. And I'm sorry to hear about your parents."

However, there was a surprise visitor…and Ash, Andrew, Gary, Jolt, and Pikachu recognized him.

"Paul!" all five of them yelled.

"Nice to see you guys as well," Paul said. "Especially Draco here."

"Draco?" Gary asked Andrew. Apparently, there was more to the newcomer than met the eye.

"My code name in the Underground," Andrew replied. "Don't ask." He then turned to Paul and said, "What's the status on Team Rocket?"

"From what Serpent and Godfather told us," Paul said, "they're planning on repeating the Mewtwo Project." Ash had flinched at that. "Unfortunately, it was interrupted by an unknown Pokemon. I don't know what happened, but it seems they've done it before despite not having a recollection of it." Again, Ash had flinched, but everyone noticed it. "What's with you?"

Ash said nothing. 'If they planned to make one,' he thought, 'then Mewtwo's memory erasure worked TOO well.'

"I'm assuming you've met the Pokemon before?" Andrew asked him.

"More than that," Ash said. "He's one of the rarest of Pokemon. I don't know if he'll erase my memory of it, but it has to be said now that the project resurfaced."

"Re-what?" Gary asked him.

"You know the Pokemon you faced in the Viridian Gym all those years ago?" Gary nodded, flinching at the memory. "Well, that Pokemon was the result of the Mewtwo Project to create an indestructible Pokemon from Mew's DNA. Only I, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Togetic, Jesse, James, and Meowth remember the incident at Clarity Lake since Mewtwo had the power to erase memory from anyone and everyone, but despite the fact that I had died by accident before…I consider Mewtwo a friend and rival on power, and if he's listening…"

"You don't have to worry," a mysterious voice said. "It had to be told."

Sure enough, said super clone had appeared to the fear of Gary, the surprise of Ash and Pikachu, and the bewilderment of Paul, Andrew, and Jolt.

"Mewtwo?" Ash asked him.

"You're the Pokemon from Viridian City!" Gary yelled.

"Yes," Mewtwo said, "and I'm not too proud of it. Since both the Chosen One and the Rogue have met, you both have to make an alliance."

"I understand why Ash is called the Chosen One," Gary said, "but which one of us is the Rogue?"

"That would be me," Andrew said. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I needed info on what would've been the destruction of mankind. I wasn't the Underground Leader eight years ago."

"How strong are you?" Paul asked Mewtwo. "I know Andrew could probably take out Giovanni and Cyrus, but your power seems…massive."

"Paul…" Ash said.

"I'm called War Machine in the Underground for a reason, Ash. I specialize in strong Pokemon like Torterra, Ursaring, Magmortar, and others. Which reminds me, how's my old Chimchar?"

"Evolved into Infernape, but I'm actually surprised at your concern…"

"We'll exchange stories later," Andrew said. "Right now, we need answers."

Mewtwo nodded. "Ho-oh, during the Chosen One's first day appeared to him through the rainbow, designating him to be the Master of Light. Lugia, however, had appeared to the Rogue at night, marking him as the Master of Darkness. Once both Light and Darkness team up, they must stop the Rocket before the Creator rises from its slumber and judges the humans. However, since we have visitors, they must make their part to help out."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked him.

"During one point in their lives, they or their ancestors have seen a Legendary Pokemon and have been marked as Chosen Ones through it." He turned to Gary. "Because you took the mantle of your late Grandfather, the Blood of Oak has transcended through generations of study. For that, you are the Chosen of Celebi." To signify that mark, a burning sensation was on the back of Gary's right hand, and it was revealed to be a crest with Celebi on it.

"Is the burning sensation normal?" Gary asked him.

"Definitely," Ash and Andrew said, revealing THEIR crests. Ash's had Ho-Oh on it while Andrew's had Lugia.

Mewtwo then turned to Paul and said, "Because of your original attitude towards Pokemon, I don't know how to say this, but there once was a Legendary whose temper knows no bounds and treated his fellowers like slaves. However, after being beated by the Chosen One and under the Rogue's wing, you used your powerful Pokemon to stand for justice. Because of that, you are the Chosen of Giratina." The same thing that happened to Gary happened to Paul, only his was Giratina. "Now, you must not speak of this meeting to anyone other than yourselves and your Pokemon. Because of your pasts and that of your past lives, your titles will be shown with the crests. Good luck, Redemption Brigade." With that, Mewtwo had disappeared…and time had continued its original course.

"Must have been a new attack," Ash said.

"That was Trick Room," Gary said. "Normally, it would give the slowest Pokemon the first attack, but from what I've seen, Mewtwo can bend the attacks to his will in order to affect the environment."

"Now I know why they restarted the project," Andrew said. "Apparently, Kamon wants something like Mewtwo, so they're repeating history."

"And because Mewtwo wasn't tired after the attack," Paul said, "then he is the ultimate Pokemon."

"We can't tell anyone of this, though," Ash said. "Mewtwo's the rarest of Pokemon, and if word gets out about this, we're going to have more than Team Rocket on our tails."

Andrew nodded. "Well, we've got two years to train," he said, "and I was planning on taking on the Indigo League…"

"We've still got time for you to register," Gary said. "Just place your Pokedex in the slot."

Andrew did so, and he was registered.

"I'll be reporting back to HQ," Paul said, walking out. "Good luck during the Kanto League, Draco. I'll be waiting in the ranks." The so-called War Machine had walked out of the lab.

"I forgot to ask this," Andrew said. "By any chance do you have a restoration machine?"

"It's in the back," Gary said. As Andrew and Jolt headed back there, the current Oak asked his friend, "What are you planning to do now?"

"If what Mewtwo said was true," Ash said, "then we're in for one heck of an adventure. You monitor our progress from here. I'll keep an eye on him."

Gary was surprised at that. "But you've been everywhere in Kanto before. And from what I've seen, he's the top Underground trainer who's possibly on par with you on power."

"On power alone, but not on experience. I suggest trading notes with Professor Elm, Birch, and Lukas Mond to see his progress and how many Pokemon he has."

Gary smirked. "You only met him, and ALREADY he's a rival. Some things never change with you."

"His information network rivals my own, but on another part of training. Mine is only a spy network."

As Andrew and Jolt returned, they had stopped their conversation.

"We made the decision," Andrew said. "Our path to Viridian starts tomorrow."

Ash raised his eyebrow at that. "I usually stay at Pallet within a week to catch up with Mom."

"(Ketchup?)" Pikachu asked him.

"I said 'Catch up.' Not ketchup."

"(Rats…)"

"Besides, I'm thinking you and I need to know the difference between Legal and Illegal Pokemon battles."

"It's only illegal when bets are involved," Andrew said. "I'm just an interloper. Besides that, Underground Battles are a LOT like Battle Frontier's own. In fact, that's where they got the idea from."

"Huh," Gary said. "Had you accepted becoming a Frontier Brain, you would have remembered how they battled."

"I declined because I'm not good at staying at one place for too long," Ash said. "Besides, I liked the exercise of walking from town-to-town."

Andrew sighed. "Sad thing is, like the Battle Frontier, the Underground has its own version of that. However, trainers who didn't know what they were doing, so they either quit or worse before I stepped in."

"How much of the Underground DID you change?" Gary asked him in mild curiosity.

"The conditions of losing and the penalties. Instead of giving up their license, Pokemon, or life, I gave them a different option: They could either train harder or never approach the Underground Stations again. Only two visiting trainers had done so, and they were from Orre."

"And you have enemies because of it," Ash said. "I doubt everyone was happy with it."

"Those that weren't had either left the Underground or were turned in to the Police for challenging my rule."

"And who were those two trainers?"

"One of them was a trainer that had betrayed Team Snagem and the other happened to have a Shadow Scouter. Both of them had passed due to their experience at finding leaks to Cipher and getting rid of the Shadow Pokemon that had tarnished its name…more so than usual."

Both of them were surprised at that.

"I don't want to know," Gary said, "but I assume Cipher found a way to close the heart of Pokemon?" Andrew nodded. "Looks like Professor Krane was right."

"Other than that," Ash said, "we need to train. If the Underground's as tough as you say it is, we need to brush up on our training."

So the Master and the Rogue have made an alliance and decided to train in Pallet Town for a week before departure. Unknown to anyone, a sinister figure had left the lab.

"What's the word on Draco?" the man said on the walkie-talkie.

"He has joined up with the Pokemon Master," the man in the cloak said. "However, it looks like I'll be staying here for a week before I could confront him. I almost struck if it wasn't for War Machine's arrival."

"War Machine was here as well?"

"And he knew the Master. I can't exactly face one of the Elites and escape the authorities…"

"Then don't. Draco is your main target, Tartarus. Don't forget that."

"I understand, Sir Chaos. And what of the Pokemon Master and the Professor?"

"The Professor is of no concern to me. As for the Master…bring me his head."

"Yes, Sir Chaos." The communications were shut off. Tartarus, had his face not been in the shadows, was smiling evilly. 'Soon, the Darkrai Knights will rise and take back what was once ours. You're lucky that I didn't strike the lab and kill you right here and now.'

To be continued…

----

(A/n: Yeah, this is yet ANOTHER SI story, only it started in the middle of his adventure instead of the beginning. I had changed some things from the original beginning chapter:

Instead of after getting the Volcano Badge, he had just been registered for the Kanto League. He still started with Jolt as a Pikachu and it chose to evolve into Raichu, but he had been raised by the monks within the Dragon's Den and trained under Lance and Clair. However, the only Dragon Pokemon he has are Dragonair, Salamence, Flygon, and Garchomp.

The Underground is something that I had made up. Since Pokemon had a bit of a lighter feel (except when Coloseeum and XD are involved), I decided to make something similar to the Battle Frontier, only darker. How Andrew stumbled upon it was an accident, but the man known as Sir Chaos has either ran it or has a relative who used to run it and wants his birthright back. As for the declaration of Ash's death, it came from the quote "Bring me the head of John the Baptist," so to speak.

For the Legendary Pokemon titles, here's how they go:

Ash is the Chosen Hero;

Andrew is the Rogue Leader;

Gary is known as Professor Time; and

Paul is still War Machine.

I gave him that title because of his desire to have powerful Pokemon in the DP anime, and I'm assuming Ash changes his opinion after defeating him in battle or during an encounter in Mt. Chimney. As for Landon, he's basically a reformed version of Silver from the GSC manga. Sarah is also Green from the American Adventures comic (and Blue from the RGB Manga in Japan), just for reference.

Considering it takes place five years since the Sinnoh League, Ash has captured more Pokemon (Lucario and Latias from Altomare being two of them). The fear of the Press came from both the Radio Tower episode and the Media's love for ratings (once such incident was if Ash was the father of someone's kid).

Poll ideas:

Should the filler episodes of Pokemon be involved with this story?

Yes or no?

Should Ash have Red's Pokemon or Red be a separate character:

Ash should have Red's Pokemon;

Red should be a separate character; or

Red should not be involved to create a rip in the time stream.

Should Jesse and James have their old Pokemon back?

Bring back Weezing and Arbok (as well as Lickitung, Weepinbell, and Chimecho); or

Don't bring them back.

Read, Review, and Remember that the polls are not to be overlooked as I post a new chapter. I'm also up for suggestions on OC Trainers, as long as they're not uber-powerful or that the main characters of any of the Pokemon Series (Game, Manga, Anime, or otherwise) has a crush on them. I'm trying to avoid the Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu thing. They can either be Underground Base leaders, part of the Darkrai Knights, Team Rocket, Galactic, Cipher, or a random trainer that both of them either befriends, hates, or either one of the two.)


	2. Tartarus Strikes Clumsily

Pokemon Chronicles

Chapter 2: On the Road to Viridian City! Meeting Old Friends (and Enemies) Along the Way.

----

The week of training hell has passed with our two heroes, and now they're on the way to Viridian City. However…there's something amiss…

"Didn't you have a group of Spearow whose leader was a Fearow that had a grudge against you?" Andrew asked him.

Ash was looking around. "Come to think of it," he said, "when I passed through here, I failed to notice that because I was running from the Press. I guess that's why Pidgeot returned."

'No kidding,' Andrew thought. 'This place was rumored to be the bane of all Trainers, but it seems someone had caught the leader already.' "Has to be War Machine. He's the only guy I know whose crazy enough to try it."

"I can see why you call him War Machine. Some of his Pokemon gave me a run for my money, but wouldn't that be ripping of someone?"

"Some of our code names are based off of popular media references."

The discussion was halted when they came across the checkpoint. After showing them their Pokedexes, both Ash and Andrew passed through without any difficulty. While stopping at the Pokemon Center, however, they were greeted with a peculiar sight.

"That's the old guy who thinks the Clefairy are from space," Ash replied.

"I've heard of these crackpots," Andrew replied. "I'm just surprised you actually know one."

"Four actually. One of them was an old friend from Mt. Moon while the other two didn't understand Pokemon at all."

However, their discussion was cut short when said man was flying through the Center.

"She has ze strength of ze Machamp…" he said, dazed.

"Holy cow," Andrew said, in shock.

"Was that really necessary?" the Nurse Joy asked the woman.

"The man was too close for comfort," the red-haired woman replied, putting her mallet away. She then noticed a familiar face. "I didn't expect you here, Ash."

"Misty?" Ash replied, surprised. "Is that you?"

"Who else?" In response to that, Pikachu had jumped off Ash's shoulders and into her arms. "I can see Pikachu remembers me."

"It has been a long time."

"Long time is an understatement. It's been ages." She then noticed Andrew. "Who's he?"

"This is…"

"Name's Andrew," he replied, "and this is my partner, Jolt."

"(Nice to meet you,)" Jolt said.

"Believe it or not," Ash said, "he's going through the Indigo League, and I kind of volunteered myself to go with him."

"There's a surprise," Misty said. "You sure you haven't destroyed another bike?"

Andrew had blinked. "Does this happen often?" he asked his senior trainer.

"It was a series of accidents that led to borderline set-up," he replied, staring at Pikachu.

"(I had nothing to do with them,)" Pikachu said with innocent-looking eyes.

"(LIAR!)" Jolt yelled.

"Already, you two are becoming Abbot and Costello," Andrew said in disbelief. "We got here within a day due to some…shortcuts Ash mentioned."

Pikachu and Jolt were laughing.

"Laugh it up, you two," he replied. "They actually paid off."

"That reminds me," Misty said, "because my Dad had arrived in my place as Gym Leader, I've been going all over the world to catch Water Pokemon around four years ago. However, I was hoping I'd run into you."

Ash was smiling. "Even with others around, the spot's been open for you after all these years. Welcome back, Misty."

"Thanks." She then realized something. "Oh, and someone else wants to see you." Taking out a Pokeball, she had opened it revealing a dove-like creature with familiar triangle markings on its bottom.

"Wow," Andrew said in awe. "I've never seen an actual Togekiss before."

Ash had taken out his Pokedex at the look of it.

_Togekiss. The Jubilee Pokemon. The evolved form of Togetic. Because of the strife in the world, Togekiss are rarely seen anywhere except the Mirage Kingdom. If one is seen, there is a glimmer of hope in the observer's heart that was buried in despair._

"How did Togetic evolve?" Ash asked her.

"Apparently, there were new stones that were rare," Misty said. "During my visit to the Mirage Kingdom, Togetic had saved my life, but I had accidentally dropped the Light Stone onto her and she had managed to evolve."

"Flaunting rare Pokemon isn't a good idea," Andrew said. "You never know who might be after it."

After a brief hug session, they had stayed for the night, unaware of Tartarus still following their every move.

'Not the best idea to attack them in their sleep,' he thought. 'However, that Togekiss would help in Chaos's ambitions, but how can we get it with the red-head in possession of it?'

He then realized something. 'Why am I thinking of ambushing them tomorrow morning? I'm an Assassin for the Darkrai Knights, not a normal trainer! Then again…the only way to get to Pewter City is to pass the Viridian Forest. I could catch them by surprise or create their deaths through accident.' He then smirked. 'Death by Beedrill sounds like a good idea.'

However, something had noticed him. He had turned to see…

"Is that a Jigglypuff?" he asked himself.

Before he could answer, Jigglypuff had sang her song, making him fall asleep in the process.

"Jiggly?" she asked it. Tartarus was snoring. "PUFF!" Taking the cap off the microphone, it was revealed that a marker was underneath it. Despite him wearing a hood, she had managed to scribble all over his face and left him like that to see if anyone else was in the radius.

----

The next morning, Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Jolt were witnesses to one of the strangest sights that laid before them: Halfway in and out of the bathroom was a sleeping Andrew, and they knew who the culprit was already…except for Jolt, who had a concerned face for a different reason.

"Jigglypuff," the aforementioned three said.

"(Great,)" Jolt said. "(I'll have to wake him up again.)"

"No need," Misty said, releasing a Pokemon. It was a star-shaped creature with a gem in the middle of it. "Staryu, use Water Gun." Obeying its master's command, Staryu had used Water Gun, waking up Andrew.

"THE GYARADOS ARE ATTACKING!" Andrew yelled. "CLOSE THE PLANT!" He then went fully awake. "Did I talk in my sleep again?"

"You don't remember what happened?" Ash asked him.

"I was just getting a drink of water, and the next thing I knew, I'm face-down on the floor after dreaming about running a power plant near the outskirts of Lavender Town. What happened?"

"Jigglypuff," Misty said. "Although I'm not surprised that it got you, but your face isn't littered with drawings."

"Probably because it was outside," Ash said. "As long as Jigglypuff isn't aware of what's behind walls, those who listen to it and fall asleep are spared from her marker of doom."

"Then who was the audience?" Andrew asked him.

The question was on their mind until they left the Center. On the outskirts, Tartarus was lucky he was wearing his cloak.

'I can't believe that I was surprised by a balloon Pokemon!' he thought, angrily. 'Not only did it put me to sleep, but it makes me lucky that I'm wearing a cloak right now. The other Knights would laugh when they find out what happened to my face.' He then realized something. 'They've entered the forest. I'll look for that thing later. Right now, duty calls.'

Midway through the Viridian Forest, the group of five arrived to one solid conclusion.

"Is it just me," Andrew said, "or are those footprints strikingly familiar?"

They were completely lost.

"They're our own," Misty said. "Ash, you got us lost again!"

"It's been a long time, okay?" he yelled. "I was actually trying to find the way to Samurai's Cabin!"

"We were chased by Beedrill at the time! How can you remember where it is when we were running away in fear?"

"Enough!" Andrew yelled. "I don't know whose fault it is right now, but I'll finish your argument for you. Right now, we need to find out which part of the Viridian Forest we're in, and then you can continue your long-missed lovers' spat."

Pikachu had frozen in fear. "(He shouldn't have said that,)" he said.

"(Why not?)" Jolt asked him. "(Her Togekiss calls him Daddy, he gave her his favorite hat, and she's the only one who's been with him more years than the other two you mentioned.)"

"(Apparently, they're forgetting about the number-one hazard the Viridian Forest has, and Andrew had just added fuel to the fire.)"

"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" Both of them yelled. However, a familiar buzzing noise proved that Pikachu was correct: The Beedrill had arrived.

"RUN LIKE HELL!" all five of them yelled.

Tartarus had noticed their arrival. 'Perfect…' Before he could speak, they had ran past him, leaving the Knight in confusion. "What are they running from?" He turned to see the source. "Oh, son of a--."

Ignoring the cries of pain, Ash, Misty, Andrew, Pikachu, and Jolt had dove into a nearby cabin.

"That was close," Andrew said.

"Close nothing," Misty said. "I had actually forgotten about the Beedrill in this forest." She was shivering in fear because of it.

"Well," Ash said, comforting her, "they're gone now. And we made it to the cabin."

"I don't think the guy's home," Andrew said. "Look at this note."

_To whoever sees this note,_

_I have left the Viridian Forest to explore my horizons and face other people who aren't just from Pallet Town. I know most of you expect a rematch, but I don't know when I'll return. In the meantime, keep your mouth shut and use the net that safeguards you from Beedrill. And if you happen to be Ash and Misty, we'll meet on the road, and I've kept my promise on the rematch not being Metapod vs Metapod._

_Farewell,_

_Samurai._

"How long ago was it?" Ash asked them.

"Judging by the paper, I'd say…Three years ago, give or take a few days."

"Great," Misty said. "We're stuck without any help in this forest. How can it get any worse?"

There was a knock on the door. Opening it, Andrew was surprised to see Tartarus falling face-down on the ground.

"Does that answer your question?" Andrew asked them.

"Who is that?" Misty asked him.

"That would be an enemy that's after my head."

"A Darkrai Knight?" Ash asked him. Andrew nodded. "Is he a new guy or something else?"

"Judging by the rank on his cloak, he's a high-ranked assassin, but it looks like he ran into a few obstacles trying to find us."

"You mean the Beedrill, right?" Misty asked him.

"And Jigglypuff," Ash said, looking at his face. "It must have night-vision or something."

Tartarus was groaning. "Good thing I took that anti-venom when I did." He then realized something. "Oh wait." He then got up and took out a knife, to their surprise. "You three were lucky last night when I had planned a stakeout, but now I have you in your grasp. You will pay for what you did to us, Andrew."

"Do I know you?" Andrew asked him.

Tartarus had face-faulted. "Know you? I was the last of the Underground Elites that you humiliated! You don't remember me as Mercy?"

"I can't remember EVERY lowlife that wanted to kill me." Tartarus had face-faulted at that response, once again.

"What's going on?" Misty asked Ash.

"Long story," he replied.

"I think you'll be able to recognize how I battle," Tartarus said. "You, me, outside, one-on-one. Unless you want to die by my blade."

Andrew smirked. "You're on, Tartarus."

With that, they were outside the cabin.

"Let's see if you're still good in regular battles," Tartarus said. "Let's go, Magnezone!"

From his Pokeball, a giant magnet-like UFO had graced the battlefield.

"Let's go, Blaze!" Andrew yelled, releasing HIS Pokemon. A Blaziken came out of it, and was stretching her muscles out.

She then recognized that Magnezone. "(Mercy's battling you?)" she asked him.

"He CLAIMS to be Mercy," Andrew said. "However, his face is messed up beyond recognition, so I don't know anything about him other than being one of the Darkrai Knights."

"(Then I'm sure he wants a repeat of the last time we tussled.)"

"Magnezone," Tartarus yelled, "attack! Thunder Wave!"

Magnezone had charged up, but Andrew was ready.

"Detect," he said, simply. Blaze had dodged the Thunder Wave with ease. "Now, Blaze Kick!"

"No you don't!" Tartarus yelled. "Dodge it, Magnezone!" Magnezone did so, leaving her to grunt. "Now use Screech!" A very bad screech filled the room, making everyone flinch.

"Blaze, use Bulk Up!" Blaze did so, raising both Attack and Defense. "Now, Double Kick!" The female Blaziken had used a different style of Double Kick that would make May's own Blaziken jealous.

"I'm actually quite surprised that his Blaziken is using that form of style," Ash said.

"You know something about it?" she asked him.

"May's Blaziken is more of a powerhouse. His, however, looks like its dancing. I'm assuming she's using a martial arts style that a Hitmonlee might use."

'Damn it,' Tartarus thought. 'I need to think of something that would get him down for the count!' He then realized something. 'Now I remember, this is the same tactic he used against me during his final Underground Match before he took on Sir Chaos.' "Magnezone, Endure!"

When Magnezone looked like it was down for the count, it went back up.

"Thanks to the Focus Band I attached to it," Tartarus said, "Magnezone is immune to one-hit KO's, and Endure added it to his style. Now, your speed will be your undoing, Draco."

'What is he up to?' Andrew thought. 'Wait a minute…'

"Magnezone, use Gyro Ball!"

"Gyro Ball?" Ash and Misty yelled.

"(Oh no!)" Jolt yelled. "(Blaze!)"

It was too late to warn her. What looked like a combination between a razor top and a ball had hit Blaze where it hurts.

"Looks like I win," Tartarus said, but was surprised. "What is this?"

Blaze was still up, and what was attached to her had surprised Tartarus.

"You think you're the only one who attached a Focus Band on your Pokemon?" Andrew asked him. "You may have done your homework, but you're not exactly bright on observation." It was shown that Blaze had a headband on her forehead

Tartarus growled. "Magnezone, Lock-On." Magnezone did so. "Now, Charge!" Magnezone was storing energy.

'I've only got one shot with this,' Andrew thought. "Focus your energy," he said. Blaze did so, much to her confusion. "He's going to use 'that' attack."

"(Is he insane?)" she said. "(It'll kill me!)"

"That's his idea. Now, wait for it."

"Nothing you do will save her now," Tartarus yelled. "Fire your Zap Cannon!" Magnezone had fired a ton of energy at the female Blaziken. 'It's all over,' Tartarus said.

"Protect!" Andrew yelled. Blaziken had evaded it at the last minute, much to Tartarus's shock.

'How did he…'

"Now, Blaze, use Sky Uppercut!"

"(You got it!)" she yelled. Getting close to the opponent's Pokemon, she held her fist up.

"Magnezone, attack!" he yelled.

"He can't," Andrew said. "Because of Zap Cannon's drawback on power, he can't attack after he uses it!"

With the strike on the magnet-like Pokemon, Magnezone was knocked out.

Tartarus was shocked. 'He was able to bypass my strategy.' Growling, he then took out his knife. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, DRACO!"

"He can't be…" Misty said.

"Watch out!" Ash yelled.

As Tartarus tried to strike, his sanity was lost and he was in tunnel vision, not noticing that he jumped into the Beedrill hive.

"Not again…"

"Let's get out of here before they decide to get us next," Andrew said.

"Good idea," Misty said, in panic mode.

"I'm just wondering," Ash said, "how did you get out of range of the strike?"

"I didn't," Andrew replied, carrying Blaze. "If anything, the Blaziken on my back saved my life in this kind of situation before."

They had then ran out of the forest and into the nearest city, which was their next destination.

Tartarus, however, crawled out of the Beedrill's nest and onto the main path.

'I'll get you next time, Draco,' he thought. 'And your little chicken, too.'

"I'm assuming you failed?" someone said. Tartarus looked up to see a fellow Darkrai Knight. "This is why we use the old Underground rules: There are no witnesses."

"And you can do better?" he replied, getting up.

"As a matter of fact, I can. They don't call me Siren for nothing."

"You bitch…"

Siren, if anyone could see her do so, glared at him. "I WAS going to take you back to Headquarters, but since you used the Anti-Venom twice, you look like you can handle yourself."

Tartarus growled. 'Damn it.' "So, what's your status on Kyu?"

"She's a slipperly bitch. I don't know what happened, but she went off the radar. Due to their 'relationship,' she may have found Draco already."

Tartarus, getting up, had used a nearby cane to lift himself up. "I'm going to report my embarrassing failure to Chaos in the Pewter Base. If you can kill them AND those pesky twerps Team Rocket's dealing with…"

"Already on it. Good luck in the Diglett's Cave." With that, the female Darkrai Knight had left Tartarus limping. 'Tartarus was a fool to follow them through the Forest. However, a certain gym leader has an obvious weakness when it comes to women like me.'

Their conversation didn't go off unnoticed. A woman with firey red hair was hiding in the tree.

'I have to warn him,' she thought, going through the trees.

To be continued…

----

(A/n: Looks like Tartarus is a bit of a klutz. Will Siren seduce the Pewter City Gym Leader? Wouldn't be much of a running gag if she didn't. And the woman in the tree…is she Kyu or not? And if so, what kind of relationship does she have with Andrew? Find out next time.

Okay, I had used the "Lost with Arguments," "Jigglypuff's Song," and "Pain on Unlucky Villians" gags here. I think you can see the parallel between Halo and this story. Tartarus and Mercy are both code names, so his true identity is still unknown. However, one of his Pokemon is revealed to be Magnezone and Andrew's other one is a female Blaziken named Blaze (I know, but I get what I work with).

As for Siren, yes she IS a beautiful woman under that cloak, so the "Lovesick Brock" gag is in effect. With Kyu, it's pretty obvious (to the Naruto fans) that she has a Ninetails in her party.

Poll time:

Who should Andrew face in the Pewter City Gym?

Brock;

Flint; or

Forrest.

Oh, and Tartarus will return for revenge. As you've seen, he's pretty tense on losing his position as the Strongest of the Underground Elites. As for Siren…you'll see.

Read, Review, and don't forget about the Polls in Chapter 1. They're there for a reason.)


	3. Plot Twists and a Gym Battle

Pokemon Chronicles

Chapter 3: Showdown at Pewter City! Battle Against Harp…er, Siren!

----

When we last left our heroes, they were on their way to Pewter City after a brief fight against Tartarus of the Darkrai Knights. Escaping near-death with him dealing with a horde of Beedrill basically tired them out.

"I was hoping we could get out of that forest unscathed," Ash said, resting on a nearby rock.

"We did," Misty said. "Tartarus wasn't so lucky."

Andrew, however, was tending to Blaze's injuries. "She's paralyzed," I said. "We need to get her to the Center."

"Right," Ash said. "Well, I happen to know a friend who lives here, and get this: He's my personal Pokemon Breeder AND the Pewter City Gym Leader."

Before anyone could respond to that, a man could be sitting beside the rocks Ash was sitting on.

"Pewter City is gray," he said. "The color of stone. This place has quite a history with stones."

Ash recognized that voice. "Nice to see you again, Flint," he said. "How's Brock and Forrest doing?"

"Fine, thank you for asking. And I know it's been a long time, but you owe me another 2 Pokeyen for resting on my merchandise."

Everyone (except Blaze) facefaulted.

_Same old Flint,_ Ash thought. _Even WITH his wife and kids, he still sells rocks. I COULD buy one for Mom's Garden…_

"Hang on a second," Andrew said to Ash. "The Pewter City Gym Leader is your personal BREEDER?!?"

Ash nodded at that. "It took a bit of work, but he managed to fulfill that dream with my help. He also doesn't have JUST Rock Types, but I can't reveal any more. Let's get your Blaziken to the center." He then realized something. "Flint, can you get us to the Pokemon Center? It's been a long time since we were last here."

"Yeah," the man replied. "By the look on that Blaziken, she's faced a rough opponent."

"You have no idea," Andrew said. "Basically, the Magnezone we fought was stronger in the rematch, and I had a little help with preparing for its Zap Cannon."

At the Pokemon Center, Ash, Andrew, and Misty got their Pokemon into the Healing containers and took a break for a while.

"So, let me get this straight," Misty said. "Basically, the man you fought happened to be part of an organization that wants anyone associated with either of you dead and once one falls, another would be following you?"

"That's basically the story of my life," Andrew said. "And Blaze happened to be one of the few that stood up against them and lived, but it seems Tartarus gained a bit of power since the last time we fought."

Ash gave his Underground counterpart a strange look. "You mean to tell me that you've faced off against him and became unscathed?!? Not exactly a wake-up call here!"

Andrew glared at him. "Well, you're not the one in charge of the reformed version of what used to be a death trap. And I did it as a double-agent!"

"No wonder you've never seen a Togekiss," Misty said.

Andrew groaned. "It's because that their side-mission is to obtain one by all means necessary, which includes killing the original trainer. Because of that, the Mirage Kingdom was on full alert in case one of them tries to get in. I think a traitor who was once an aide wanted one in order to claim it for the old Underground."

Misty glared at that memory. "When I find the man, I'll make sure he doesn't touch Togekiss."

"Save him for me," Ash said. "Remember, I'm considered Togekiss's father."

However, someone had interrupted their conversation.

"I didn't expect to see you two again," a female voice said.

Ash and Misty were surprised at the voice. "Susie?" they both asked her.

Sure enough, it was the Pokemon Massage Therapist and the Vulpix Trainer herself.

Out of the loop, Andrew was a bit surprised that one of Kanto's best Fashion/Battle Specialists knows Ash and Misty. However, another revelation had slipped instead of the one that was expected.

"You mean to tell me you both know Susie Slate, the woman whom all Vulpix Trainers idolize!?!"

Yeah, a few things clicked into their minds at that moment. One, the last name change; two, how the Underground Leader knew about her; and the final one…

"Did Hell freeze over or something?" Misty asked him. She was SHOCKED that Brock, the Brock that usually lusted after many women, had actually tied the knot.

"Actually," Susie said, "a lot of things happened during the Fashion Contest that was here four years ago."

"We'll talk about it after we get our Pokemon," Ash said, noticing the bell ring.

Pikachu and Jolt, at that moment, went by their respective trainers' sides while the three got their Pokemon out of the center.

"Which one of you happens to be Andrew?" the Nurse Joy asked them.

"That would be me," he replied. "Is Blaze going to be okay?"

"She'll be just fine, but it looked like she pulled a few muscles. Try not to battle with her for at least a week."

"I'll try not to." With that, the group (joined by Susie) had towards the Slate Residence…without knowing that Siren of the Darkrai Knights was listening.

_There goes THAT plan,_ she thought. _Tartarus was RIGHT about keeping tabs in the Legal Battles, damn him. Looks like I'll have to go with Plan B._

----

Ash, remembering where Brock lived (fortunately), had knocked on the door in a bit of a frantic way before someone got it.

"Where's the fire, Ash?" the man asked him. The man that answered the door happened to be his old traveling partner…wearing the apron that was used whenever cleaning was involved.

Andrew was dumbstruck at this development while those who knew him actually groaned.

"You mind if we stay at your place?" Ash asked him. "We need to catch up for old time's sake."

"Why the heck are you wearing a pink apron?" Andrew asked the Gym Leader.

Brock had noticed the newcomer. "Who's this?" he asked them.

Ash realized that Andrew was still with them. "Andrew, this is Brock, the old friend I was talking about. Brock, this is Andrew."

Andrew had gone from surprised to polite. "Nice to meet you, Brock," he said. "Sorry about the question. My brain couldn't fathom this development."

"I'm used to it," he replied. "By all means, welcome aboard. I believe you know where the guest rooms are?" Ash nodded at that.

After meeting some of Brock's siblings and Pokemon, Andrew had decided to start the conversation.

"Thanks for the meal," he said, "and I'm sorry if it offends anyone or anything, but I came here to battle for the Indigo League and this is the first Gym I'm planning on battling."

It was no surprise to Brock, considering that he's been staying in Pewter since after Ash became Pokemon Master. "Truth be told," he said to the black-clad trainer, "I'm not surprised at this. However, don't expect me to be friendly like I am right now."

Andrew smirked. "Same here. I consider being lax in battle dishonorable to my Pokemon."

"So," Misty said, interrupting the conversation, "why didn't you tell us you were married?"

Brock changed from determined to nervous in three seconds flat. "Whatever do you mean?"

"That's why we ran to your place," Ash said. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise?" Oh, it was a surprise, all right.

However, there was an explosion in the backyard, shocking everyone. Without hesitation, they had run out to see some of the Rock Pokemon in a net carried by something other than a Meowth Balloon.

"Has Team Rocket lost their minds?!?" Misty asked them.

"It's not them," Andrew said, growling. Jolt's cheeks and tail were sparking in anger. "It's a diversion!"

"Perceptive as usual, Draco," a woman's voice said. Everyone turned to see a woman in the same dark cloak Tartarus had holding a red-haired woman by the throat. "You didn't think that I would stoop as low as the Rejected Rockets, did you? Now you have two choices: Either give us the Togekiss and rights to the Underground, or the bitch dies by my hand!"

Now, those who knew Andrew KNOWS not to let anyone get involved, but when it was a woman or a fellow member of the Reformed Underground, he was pissed. Add in a combination of the two and he's seeing red. Jolt had noticed it as well.

"(What's the plan, Draco?)" the Raichu asked him. "(We can't have you losing it because you'll catch Kyu in the crossfire if blood is shed.)"

Siren had smirked. _I knew that finding Draco's girl would be a walk in the park,_ she thought. _Now he'll have no choice but to give us the deed. Too bad the idiots that did the kidnapping hadn't thought of the ultimatum category._ "So, what's it going to be? The deed and Togekiss or the girl?"

Before she could make the choice, an Arcanine had bit the arm holding the knife and the girl escaped to Andrew's side.

"Officer Jenny?" Brock asked.

"Gary?" Ash asked. However, the collar happened to be one he hadn't seen in a while. "Wait, that's…!"

Siren growled. _Don't tell me the Police found me already!_ However, a familiar laughing caught everyone off-guard. _It can't be! Those two!?!_

"Sorry for the late arrival…" a woman's voice said.

"…but allow us to reintroduce ourselves," a man's voice said.

Instead of the motto everyone was expecting, it was slightly changed.

"To protect the innocent from devastation…"

"To reform the trainers in darker nations…"

"To denounce the evils of shadow's reign!"

"To extend our might through the outer plane!"

As it turns out, it WAS the two that everyone was thinking of. Jesse and James, formerly of Team Rocket, now Underground Double-Agents under Draco's rule.

"Underground Rockets, defending all trainers at the speed of light!" Jesse yelled.

"Surrender to us now," James said, "or else you must prepare to fight!"

A familiar cat Pokemon popped in at the last part. "Meowth! That's right!" it yelled.

"About time you three got here," the woman said. "I was afraid that she might jam our tracers!"

"We'd get here sooner, Kyu," Jesse said, "but a certain SOMEONE wanted to modify our motto at the last minute!" She was glaring at Meowth when she said that.

"Okay," Brock said, "I am now completely lost. I thought that they were still after Pikachu."

"That's old news," James said. "After the last encounter with the Master Twerp, we got fired, so we decided to pay my parents a visit…only to attend their actual funeral."

"Hence, why old Growly has evolved and is with you," Ash said. "But why attack the Darkrai Knight when you could have snatched the knife itself?"

"After Draco defeated the original master," Meowth said, "he had managed to find both of their Old Pokemon and bring them into the Top Rank through the type of training HE was subjected to in the Dragon's Den. As for the Darkrai Knight, let's just say we know Harpy from old times…"

Siren had growled. "It's REGRET, not Harpy!" _Now I know how Enigma feels when his REAL name is misinterpreted._ "And I didn't expect to see YOU three failures after your canning!"

That's when the original trio recognized the attitude. Ash gave Siren a stern glare and said, "And I didn't think Rocket Members would stoop so low in order to kill opposing trainers, Cassidy!"

Siren had taken off the hood to reveal herself as the Rocket Elite, Cassidy. "I didn't think you twerps would figure it out," she said. "You are now subjected to the penalty of exposing a Darkrai Knight: Death! But first, I'm making a delivery to the Boss." However, the helicopter that carried the Rock Pokemon had crashed earlier, much to her shock. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHOPPER!?!"

"Call it revenge for pulling a fast one on me," Kyu said, with her Ninetails out. "She's all yours, Draco."

Andrew nodded. "I'm glad you're okay, Kyu, but you can call me by my real name," he replied. He then took out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Chloe!" It then revealed itself to be a Lopunny in fit shape.

Cassidy knew that look. "Let's get moving, Purugly!" Her Pokeball opened to reveal a fat cat that would be suited as Garfield's wife. "Use Body Slam!" The Purugly had rushed towards Chloe with blazing speed…

…but Andrew was ready. "Chloe, use Mach Punch!" Andrew yelled. Chloe had struck the opposing Pokemon in the chest. A punch like that along with opposing speed usually meant that the Lopunny would be the one with the Critical Hit…but no one saw that Punch land. Purugly was KO-ed instantly. "Seriously, if you can't put up as much of a challenge as Tartarus did, then don't even try."

Cassidy growled. "You won't be so lucky next time, Draco." She then used a smoke ball to make her escape. As it cleared, she had disappeared.

"Shouldn't you go after her?" Misty asked the Underground Trainers.

Andrew shook his head. "Her pride broke, she lost her temper, and her Pokemon had paid the price due to her foolishness," he replied. "I'm starting to wonder why Master Chaos put her as an Elite in the first place."

"Wait a second," Brock said. "If she was an Elite, why does she work for Team Rocket?"

Andrew, Kyu, Jesse, James, Meowth, and Jolt looked at each other, and they replied with the only reason they thought of that could answer it, "Compromise and alliance," they said. Everyone face-faulted at that response.

Elsewhere, Cassidy had growled. _I didn't expect back-up to arrive in the form of those two. Had Butch been with me…_ She then realized something. _How am I going to explain this to the Boss? I know Master Chaos understands, but Giovanni would fire me._

Tartarus (still on the cane) had watched the entire thing. "So much for your big plan, Siren," he said.

"Zip it, Tartarus," she said. "At least I got out unscathed. I had no idea that both my old co-workers would be under HIS guidance."

"Well, that's what you get for being inactive for five years. At least I go out into the Legal Battles and keep up with the times thanks to the magnetic trackers from the old days."

Cassidy growled at Tartarus's resourceful methods. She didn't want to explain it, but somehow, he would know about her embarrassing defeat by only one hit. "You're such a bastard, Tartarus," she said.

"At least I TRAIN my Pokemon, unlike your team. If you'll need me, I'll be back at the Kanto Base, explaining to Enigma that the Harpy is useless when faced with a strong opponent."

"You are a DEAD MAN!"

----

The next morning, Brock and Andrew are within the opposing sides.

"I know it's a little upsetting," Andrew said, "but I reformed the Underground Battles to be friendlier to the competitors after taking out their Champion."

"I know," Brock said, making everyone surprised at that. "What happened last night didn't change anything between us. I'm just honored that I'll be facing the Daredevil Dragon in a legalized Pokemon Gym Battle."

The tension Andrew had earlier was broken, but he still had to keep his game face on. "So, what's the limit for this match?"

"Two on two works best for me. However, I'm letting you choose first."

Andrew smirked. "Let's get ready to battle, then." He then took out a Pokeball while Brock did the same.

"I'm actually quite surprised that Brock's not harboring any ill will towards him," Kyu said.

"His Pokemon are like family to him," Ash replied. "Sometimes, it takes an act of compassion in order to win over people who look at the reputation. By the way, we never got your real name."

Kyu was surprised at that. "Well…you'll find out after Andrew has his battle." Everyone was looking on with mild interest.

"Let's go, Aura!" Andrew yelled. The Pokeball thrown revealed his Lucario, which surprised everyone, but Ash (who had heard it before) and Kyu (who had seen Aura personally) knew about it.

"Golem, let's go!" Brock yelled. His Pokeball opened to reveal what used to be his Geodude.

Andrew just looked at him in surprise. "You know, you could have used something that's STRONG against Fighting Types," he said.

"That's part of the surprise," Brock said. "Then again, Lucario IS a Fighting-Steel type, so it evens out. Golem, use Rock Polish!" Without hesitation, Golem had cleaned himself out, making him faster.

"Aura, use Agility!" Andrew yelled.

"(Yes, Father,)" Aura said. To counter in speed, the young Lucario had matched Brock's Golem in the art of speed combat.

"Shouldn't they start attacking by now?" Kyu asked them.

"Rock Polish is basically a Rock Type's Agility," Misty said. "I'm thinking that if both Golem and Aura stop their movements to attack, they'll keep missing each other."

"I'm not exactly surprised," Ash said. "Both of them are using speed to cancel each other out. However, I know Brock has an attack that can nullify that factor and Aura would have one built in her system."

Now, Andrew was one to be cocky, but he knew that like Roxanne and Roark, Rock Trainers were known to use Rock Polish as a back-up plan to keep their opponents on their toes. _He's never went up against a Pokemon that can use their powers to hit, regardless of factor._ "Aura, his Golem's speed matches that of your own. I think you know what to do. Aura Sphere!"

Aura nodded, and fired a ball of her Wave at Golem, stopping him in his tracks.

However, Brock saw it coming. "Golem, use Gyro Ball!" he yelled.

In response to the Aura Sphere received, his Golem had launched a ball of his own and hit Aura, stopping her in her tracks.

"Now use Rock Tomb!"

Andrew growled. "Use Bullet Punch! Knock the rocks away!"

As Golem had made the boulders fly, Aura knocked them away.

"Now, Dragon Pulse!"

Instead of a counter-measure, Golem took the hit dead-on and was KO-ed.

"Golem, return!" He did so. "Not bad, but can you handle the next one? Let's go!" His other Pokeball opened to reveal…a Sudowoodo?

_Not good,_ Andrew thought. "Aura, can you continue?"

"(Not really,)" she said. "(That last attack took everything out of me.)"

Andrew nodded. "Aura, return!" She had gone back into the PokeBall. "Let's go, Cleo!" His Net Ball opened to reveal a Gardevoir. Before anyone started, Cleo's eyes had changed color…and went back to normal. Andrew smirked. "What did your Trace ability pick up?"

"(His Sudowoodo has the Sturdy ability,)" she said in a monotone style of voice. "(It's beneficial, considering the attacks our opponent has in his arsenal, but it wouldn't matter.)"

"Not bad," Brock said. "I'm assuming you've had your Gardevoir for a while?"

"Since I first met her and Zen in Hoenn," Andrew replied. "Cleo, Future Sight." Cleo just stood there and did her work.

"Mimic, Sudowoodo!" Brock yelled. Sudowoodo had copied an attack. "Now, use Sucker Punch!"

Unfortunately for Cleo, Dark Type Attacks were her one weakness, but she was ready.

"Use Psychic!" Andrew yelled. Cleo had her eyes glowing while locked on Sudowoodo, but it didn't do much damage.

"Use Psybeam!" both trainers yelled, surprising everyone. Sudowoodo and Cleo had used the same attack, which clashed into a battle of minds.

"This looks awfully familiar," Misty said.

Ash groaned. "It won't be the same result. Trust me on this one."

With that said, the Future Sight attack had kicked in, knocking the opponent out of the duel and falling full effect into the attack, KO-ed.

Brock had recalled Sudowoodo at the last moment. "Didn't think of the Future Sight factor," he said. "Congratulations on winning your first Kanto Gym Battle, Andrew."

"No problem," Andrew said, walking up to him. "I'll admit, I would've lost had you thought of a countermeasure against my strategies, but it was a fun match. We should do it again sometime."

Everyone was surprised that Andrew didn't activate the Sprinkler Systems, but they were surprised at the act of friendship that they exchanged.

----

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Ash asked his old friend.

"I'd love to join," Brock said, "but I'm needed here since I'm having…personal issues in the near-future."

By personal issues, he left out that not only did he marry the Vulpix Trainer but…

"Congratulations, Brock," Andrew said. "What are you going to name the kid?"

Oh yeah, the reaction Ash and Misty had was priceless.

"She's WHAT?!?" they yelled.

Kyu had groaned. "You could spot it a mile away, couldn't you?" she asked her friend.

"Who couldn't? Morning Sickness is just the first symptom. I just hope his cooking could satisfy her cravings in the future."

Everyone face-faulted at Andrew's clueless face. He may be an experienced trainer, but subtlety was NOT a strong point for him.

With Brock having a bundle on his way, the group of four had respected his decision to stay at Pewter City. But what were the former Team Rocket of Ash's time doing there? And who is Kyu?

"By the way," Kyu said, blushing, "my true name is Trisha Parker of Lavaridge Town. Sorry I forgot to mention it, but it slipped my mind because I was glomping Andrew half-to-death."

"She's also my girlfriend/secretary/personal trainer," Andrew added.

"We could see that," Misty said. She then whispered to Ash, "Is it too late to tell them that we've been dating for three years?"

"They'll figure it out," he replied. "Right now, keep the façade up. They only know me up to the point of the Sinnoh League."

"What are you lovebirds babbling about?" Andrew asked them.

Both of them were flustered. "WE ARE NOT LOVEBIRDS!!!" they yelled.

Trisha groaned. _The Pokemon Master and the world's strongest Water Pokemon Trainer. Andrew's picked some very powerful trainers to hang out with, but their antics remind me of…well, us when he demolished my motorcycle with his Golem._

That's creepy…

To be continued…

----

(A/n: Didn't expect THAT Plot Twist to happen did you? Other than the Rocket/Darkrai alliance, the rest of the Bad Guys happen to be Galactic and Cipher, and THEY have a bone to pick with both the Master and Rogue. Oh, and I'm an AshMisty fan, but they kept a façade up to avoid questions from the Press.

Sorry about not including Brock in the group, but he can't make the same mistake his Dad made concerning marital issues. And I forgot that the Storage System is connected to the person who gave them their Pokedex, so Gary's dealing with not only Ash's Pokemon, but Andrew's as well.

Let's see how they're doing…)

--

Omake 1: Dealing With Raw Power.

Back in Pallet Town, Gary was browsing through some old files when something had blown up. He groaned, because he KNEW which set of Pokemon would be responsible for THAT mess.

_Sometimes, I wish I hadn't let Professor Elm give me HIS Storage System,_ he thought. "ALRIGHT, YOU TWO, BREAK IT UP!"

The fight was between Rocky and Tachikoma, Andrew's Golem and Metagross. "(Sorry…)" they both said.

"Dare I ask what caused this to happen?" he muttered. However, a snickering was in the air, revealing Okami, Andrew's Gengar, and Ash's Gengar, which was a Haunter that humored Sabrina many years ago. "Okay, you two are not allowed to be in the same room together. I'm a researcher, not a nanny!" That response was given through a lick, which paralyzed the young man in his tracks. _Sometimes I wonder if she gained Gengar's twisted sense of humor afterward._

That part is best left unanswered as Mewtwo had teleported into the lab. Looking at the stiff, yet alive, researcher and at the Gengar, he only came to one conclusion:

"Is it a bad time to tell you that I'm going to be one of the Chosen's newest Pokemon for a while?" he asked him.

"(If you can keep both troublemakers in line,)" Gary said through gritting teeth, "(then I'll put in a good word for you.)"

Mewtwo sighed. _I can only assume this is the Chosen's doing…and whoever had the Gengar last has a VERY sadistic sense of humor._

In Saffron City, Sabrina had sensed what was going on and smirked.

_Believe me, Mewtwo,_ she thought, _you have NO idea how right you are…_

----

(A/n: Yeah…and I'm taking the route the Manga had when they partnered Red with THEIR version of Mewtwo. No time-stream rip involved, by the way, although Ash's Lucario is going to have quite a fit when he finds out.

Which reminds me…)

----

Omake 2: Mewtwo vs Lucario.

After the little incident with the Gengar, Gary was in the upright position thanks to a Paralysis Heal.

"Okay, now I've heard from Ash that you're not the type to stay in one place," he said to the cloned Pokemon, "but why volunteer yourself as one of HIS Pokemon?"

Mewtwo sighed. "It's because I owe him my life after the incident at Clarity Lake, Professor Time," he replied. "That, and I'm pretty sure you're interested in the paradox of Baby Nidoqueen."

"It's just not right," a male voice said in the tree. Mewtwo had GLARED at the newcomer.

"And you are?"

"Someone who has a few questions." The figure jumped down to reveal himself as a Lucario…but not just ANY Lucario. "For instance, why don't you have a link to the Tree of World's Origin?" This was the Lucario that Aaron had reincarnated into Ash's own.

"I didn't know such a thing existed," he replied. "What do you know about Mew?"

"Enough to make your head spin on the fact that Mew relies on an outer force to survive. Your Wave, however, is connected to something within. What made someone like you not rely on an outer power source?"

Mewtwo looked at Lucario in mild curiosity. "What made someone like you share memories with another from long ago?" he retorted. "I was created to become the strongest of all Pokemon, but I had learned from the Chosen One and my original that true strength came from the heart. Something my creators had failed to compute."

Lucario noticed it as well. "So you're joining to find out why?" Mewtwo nodded. "Well, I'm going to use the method some of the other Pokemon had used, and it's called a Hazing Ritual. Believe me; it's not going to be pretty for either of us."

Gary was shocked. "You can't be serious!!!" he yelled. "You're not going to subject him to THAT, are you!?!"

Mewtwo, however, had just glared at the Aura Pokemon in a similar fashion he did with Giovanni. "Show me," he said.

Twenty minutes later…

"I'm going to kill you," the Genetic Pokemon said.

Lucario grinned. "It's your own fault for accepting," he replied. "Now dance my puppet! Dance!"

Gary groaned. _It's official. Ash befriends the weirdest Pokemon._

The hazing ritual involved dressing in drag and dancing to "It's Raining Men" by Cher. That last input was suggested by Ash's Gengar, who had become the Hazing Director after his arrival.

----

(A/n: I think a few Mewtwo fangirls would kill me for this little stunt. If Ash catches Jigglypuff…well, I can't say anything just yet…but Lucario's original haze for Mewtwo was to, and I quote, "dress in drag and do the hula," but a hazing hurts pride, and pride I had targeted.

Read and Review, please. I could use the critique.)


End file.
